OECD’s findings on the benefits of ICTs do not carry over easily to developiong countries.

Global initiatives in “ICT4D” have been long on discussion and short on action

ICT mainstreaming is indispensible to achieveing MDGs

ICT mainstreaming is implicit rather than explicit in the push for “aid effectiveness”

The conjuncture is very poor so current prospects do not appear good but there are a few developments that create opportunities both for development co-operation and for ICTs to enhance its quality and effectiveness

ICT in Development Cooperation institutions vs. ICT4D

ICTs in development cooperation

ICT aids management and delivery of development assistance

ICT “mainstreamed” as part of development assistance: ICTs integrated on what institutions “deliver”

ICT4D

All of the above, plus ICT productgion and use to achieve economic growth, development and social welfare.

The Seoul Declaration, 2008

Facilitate the convergence of digital networks, devices and services

Foster creativity in development, use and application of the Internet

Strengthen confidence and security

Ensure the Internet Economy is truly global

For developing countries, this means

more access to Internet and related ICTs

competition

use by all communities: local content and language, inclusion

energy efficiency

Against the Solow Paradox: there is now evidence on the economic impacts of ICTs:

macro-economic evidence on the role of ICT investment in capital deepening

The relationship between ICT investments and economic growth in OECD countries is complex and uncertain,highly dependent on complementary factors, many of which less apparent in developing countries: power supply, maintenance, skills and literacy, the degree to which society is networked, the extent to which its economy is reliant on services, etc.

The Genoa Plan of Action

development of national e-strategies

improve connectivity, increase access, lower costs

enhance human capacity development, knowledge creation and sharing

Foster enterprise, jobs and entrepreneurship

Mainstreaming ICTs

UN ICT Task Force Mainstreaming ICTs for the achievement of the MDGs: ICTs as an “enabler” of development, not a production sector

ICTs should be able to enable donnor coordination: need analysis, non-duplication of efforts and projects, etc.

I am professor at the School of Law and Political Science of the Open University of Catalonia,
and researcher at the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute and the eLearn Center of that university.
I am also the director of the Open Innovation project at Fundació Jaume Bofill.